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The University of Tampere Hämeenlinna, Finland |
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The University of Tampere Hämeenlinna, Finland |
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Workshop Proposal to Initiate
Global University System (GUS)
Economic interdependence among nations and cultures is spawning a global economy. Globalisation also highlights clashes of divergent cultures and belief systems, political and religious. If global peace is ever to be achieved, global-scale education will be needed to create mutual understanding among nations, cultures, ethnic groups, and religions.
The Global University System (GUS) aims to provide global education in the broad context of wisdom, justice, and peace. It is not enough to educate people with knowledge and marketable skills if they live in a culture that is ill-suited to accommodate the hopes and dreams that such education inspires. Indeed, cultural disconnects with modern education may lead to frustration, despair, and perhaps ultimately to war or terrorism. In such an Age, what could be more important than creating a Global University for world peace? That is just what our team of international telecommunications and educational experts propose to do. Fortunately, this dream is now feasible, due to the rapidly evolving world-wide Internet. The Internet is the future of telecommunications and can be a medium for building peace.
Learners and their professors from partner institutions will also form a global forum for exchange of ideas and information and for conducting collaborative research and development with emerging global GRID computer network technology. Our telecommunications task force will plan for the next-generation Internet infrastructure to provide grid computing resources to GUS partners. Grid computing extends the Internet idea to research instrumentation, computer processing units, and databases on as as-needed basis, analogous to the management of electrical power grids. This capability will give GUS students hands-on training with virtual reality and virtual laboratories through the next generation Internet and will provide powerful resources of GUS partner institutions.
GUS programs and services will be delivered via regional satellite hubs, typically located at a major university in the developing country, that connect via high-speed satellite (~ 45 Mbps) to educational resource sites at major universities in the E.U., U.S., and Japan. In a sense, the regional satellite hub is to be the major Internet Service Provider (ISP) for not-for-profit organizations in the region and the gateway to the outside world.
Most universities in the developed world have a growing capability for e-learning at a distance. As universities expand their distance learning modules and courses, their student "market" expands, but is constrained ultimately by the limitations of telecommunications and educational administration in underdeveloped countries. Yet these are often the countries with the largest populations and with the greatest need for modern education. GUS is formed to help bridge this gap.
GUS History. GUS has a long history of concept development and testing of multiple hardware configurations suitable for remote Internet access. These initial steps are summarized in our recent book, Global Peace Through the Global University System, University of Tampere, Finland, 2003 (ISBN 951-44-5695-5). The editors' paper in the book, "Creating Global University System," summarizes GUS accomplishments and shows that GUS is poised to begin planning of Internet access and academic programs in remote areas of the world.
GUS is currently headquartered at the Global E-learning Center at the University of Tampere in Finland, under the direction of the UNESCO/UNITWIN Networking Chair, held by Dr. Tapio Varis. Currently, institutions with faculty members who are participating in GUS development projects include the University of Tampere, U.K. Open University, 6 federal universities of Amazonia, Havana Institute of Technology, University of Malawi, Uganda National Council for Science and Technology, McGill University in Canada, University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Cornell University, Texas A&M University, University of Michigan, Montana State University, Houston Community College, University of Hawaii, Maui Community College, University of Milan, University of Salerno, University of Twente, Catalunyan Open University, Prime University in Bangladesh, and many others. Those institutions affiliated with GUS become members of the GUS/UNESCO/UNITWIN Networking Chair Program.
Workshop Operation. After years of planning and world-wide testing of communications technology, GUS is now ready to begin planning for academic administration. To accelerate implementation, we seek funding to support an implementation planning workshop in Tampere, Finland, in the early month of 2005 (tentative). This workshop will gather together representatives from partner institutions and GUS leaders to address specific issues and plans for implementation of GUS academic programs.
Task forces that will be formed at this workshop will use the point paper, "Academic Administration Issues for the Global University System," (p. 208-223, in Global Peace Through The Global University System) as a frame of reference for debate and development planning. This paper includes a review of existing e-learning consortia models, none of which seems entirely appropriate for GUS. The paper identifies the key issues associated with the effort to create the GUS.
The task forces include: 1) Academic programs (accreditation, curricula, and course content), 2) Educational technology and infrastructure, 3) Finance organization and administration, 4) Partnership liaison, 5) Quality maintenance (academic programs, admissions, registration and records), 6) Student admissions, recruiting and services and business affairs, 7) Graduate studies and research, 8) Incorporation of GUS.
Deliverables. At the conclusion of the workshop, the Chairman of each Task Force will prepare a final outline of the implementation plan for each issue discussed during the workshop. The documents from each Task Force will be reviewed via e-mail or Web forum by all participants after the workshop. GUS leaders will then prepare a draft white paper that will be electronically distributed to all participants and other interested parties around the world for final review and edit. This white paper, which will serve as a working document for the next steps in creation and operation of GUS, will also be distributed to all organizations contributing funds for the workshop or other aspects of the project.
Summary. This workshop will be the crucial first step that will allow GUS to create a comprehensive and holistic approach for an educational system to promote mutual understanding and peace across national boundaries. Initiatives have been underway for several years to create the necessary infrastructure and educational liaisons. Therefore, we expect to be able to provide some near-term access to modern higher education for students in undeveloped countries.
If this program interests you, we would be delighted to send you a complete, formal proposal that outlines how we would organize and conduct the workshop.
P. Tapio Varis, Ph.D.
Acting President, Global University System
Unesco Chair in global eLearning with applications to multiple domains
Professor and Chair of Media Education
University of Tampere
P.O.Box 229
FIN-13101 Hameenlinna, Finland
Tel: +358-3-614-5608
Fax: +358-3-614-5611
tapio.varis@uta.fi; http://www.uta.fi/~titava
If you have a constraint to fund only to the US tax-exempt organization, please contact;
Takeshi Utsumi, Ph.D., P.E.
Chairman,
GLObal Systems Analysis and Simulation Association in the U.S.A. (GLOSAS/USA)
Founder and V.P. for Technology and Coordination of Global University System (GUS)
43-23 Colden Street
Flushing, NY 11355-3998, U.S.A.
Tel: 718-939-0928
utsumi@columbia.edu; http://www.friends-partners.org/GLOSAS/
Tax Exempt ID: 11-2999676